Chair mats are floor coverings made of a relatively thin but durable material. They are placed under office furniture to protect the carpet or flooring underneath the chair mat from scratches, gouges, and dents caused by furniture legs. Besides protecting flooring, chair mats also provide a smoother surface to roll across. Chair mats are possibly best used in conjunction with chairs equipped with casters. Casters or more traditional wheels tend to snag on carpet thus requiring more force to move around. During a typical workday, an office worker may change position dozens possibly hundreds of times. Even relatively little exertion multiplied over a hundred times may cause unnecessary fatigue and reduce productivity. Chair mats provide a stable surface on carpet for a caster equipped chair to roll with minimal force from the occupant.
Typically, chair mats are vinyl or plastic sheets cut in a rectangle and sized according to the area behind a desk. The vinyl or plastic is generally flexible and may possess cleats on the underside to prevent sliding if placed on carpet. One of the problems with vinyl and plastic mats is wear and tear. Plastic and vinyl mats age with time and use. Edges chip, corners fray, and the plastic yellows or clouds with exposure to sunlight. Heavy usage also adds to the toll. Scratches mar the surface leading to an unsightly worn appearance within a few short months.
Oftentimes, dents may occur in areas most often used. For example, at most desks and workstations, an office worker may spend the majority of their time in front of the computer monitor. This position has a “sweet spot” which corresponds to the ergonomic keyboarding position of the typist. The majority of the office worker's time will be spent in this one position and the majority of the office worker's weight will rest on four relatively small areas on the chair mat. Dents will eventually form at these four areas. The dents will naturally trap the casters and prevent them from rolling to other areas, thus increasing the time spent in one area. Eventually cracks will occur at the dents necessitating replacement of the chair mat.
Packaging and shipping glassware also poses potential problems. Due to restrictions on delivery to residential areas, ground is preferred over freight as a method of customer delivery. Ground delivery however is limited by a length and girth measurement thus packaging that is less bulky is desirable.